Are questions of ultimate human value moot, to atheists?

Question

In my opinion, religion and sceince are both vital (and they should be kept separate!).

But perhaps atheists are immune to the kinds of questions that most humans seem, by our very nature, to be driven to seek answers to; the questions religion addresses.

Would you say that those kinds of questions are irrelevant, or just plain unanswerable, or what? I'm trying to understand a view so very different from my own.

I'm apperently not being clear, and I apologize for that. Maybe this is a better way to ask: "Do religious people and atheists concern ourselves with different questions, or do we just have different answers?"

Well, thanks for your answers so far. I'm going to leave this open a little longer.

BTW, I'm not a Christian, so comments about Christianity in answer to this question are....oh, unwarranted assumptions, don't you think?

Answer 1

like... what exactly?

And most atheists realize that everyone is as important as everyone else and that we need to value each and every single day of life because there is no hereafter and there is no one to forgive you (other than the human beings you hurt) if you do something wrong.

As for "why are we here" well most Atheists realize thats something you need to decide for yourself because no one is going to answer it for you.

Personally, I don't particularly care about the 'why" because I've already decided my path in life.

Atheists value every day of their lives and of other lives. Moreso than any religious person.

Answer 2

You are making some gross generalizations. You don't know what you are talking about, so stop with the religious judgments. Just because a person identifies themselves as religious or spiritual doesn't mean that their morals or ethics are any better than anyone else's. I'm really surprised that you are not aware of this fact. Just take a look at the news;observe the situation with Ted Haggard and may other publicly professed to be "good" Christians. Likewise, those who identify themselves as atheists/agnostics vary in their relative capacity to make moral decisions. Organized religion of all kinds strives to create and force control on people from the outside. However an attitude of truly caring about yourself and your fellow man has to come from the heart. Following man made rules cannot transform human nature. It's an inside job, and some of us are better at it than others. Jesus didn't judge ANYONE. Too bad those who identify with him fail to follow his example.

Answer 3

What question are you talking about?

If it's about human morality, human morality studies show that you do not need religion to be moral. In fact, of the twenty-five most dangerous cities in the US, 76% are red, or conservative (conservatives are more likely to be highly religious), while only 24% are blue, or less religious. Just because someone doesn't need to declare that we will suffer from eternal damnation if we don't follow moral rules doesn't mean atheists aren't moral.

As for questions about the universe and human life, atheists tend to attempt to explain them through science, leading to more scientific endeavors. Similarly, atheists tend not to believe in the afterlife, so that can help them value human life more (if someone believes that there is only one life of a person and then both the body and mind of a person dies, it makes sense that they will not take life for granted).

Of course, I just tried to touch on the basic questions people ask atheists... I would really appreciate it if you could expand on the question(s) you are focusing on.

Answer 4

You didn't mention what those specific "questions" would be. Keep in mind that it is precisely the humanist approach many of us atheists have that distinguishes us from the "other-worldly" philosophies. With regards to human values, I doubt religion has any legitimate claim of ownership. At best, religion reflects human values - and in pale shades at that.

Take for example, morality. Atheists are more or less tired of explaining that morality is a cultural product - and it occurs in all societies and groups, regardless of whether they believe in deities, demons, Karma, or nothing at all. It is a human condition, not something given us from above (or below).

So what are the "questions?" We believe in justice, progress, and just about anything a religious person holds dear. The exceptions to this are not "vital" at all. There is nothing "vital" about a concept that centers on the perpetual happiness (or suffering) of something called a "soul," or that requires people to worship unknowable entities. (These, like different kinship systems, are proper subjects for anthropologists.)

Issues of ultimate human value: the meaning of love, happiness, knowledge, the very concept humanity itself, are all firmly within our view of the world.

Answer 5

As a Christian I'm not sure if one can ask the Ultimate question to raise doubts about their religious beliefs. Below is a link of 50 questions from a person who said he was a Christian before he decided not to be one. It may be because he himself was unable to answer some of those questions. So is it because the Christian is too stubborn? No. I believe in the two accounts that happened in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve and the snake. And I also believe the fact that Jesus Christ was tempted of the devil. The Christian is protected with the mind and will of God from the doubts and lies from the enemy of God's spoken and written word to man. The devil twisted both the meaning and words of God to mean something else that questioned God's authority and mission rather than their original intent to protect man and glorify God at the same time. I'm sorry if this did not help you. But perchance one of those questions might be the one you could use. I am a Christian and have questioned myself about my faith in God. I know that He is the one to get the glory for my salvation and not me. I am glad to called his child and by his name a Christian. Respectfully we must agree to disagree. Later.

Answer 6

Ultimate human value...?

I wonder what you may be thinking. Certainly the Atheist deems that human-kind and human questions are valuable. I'm inclined to think that Atheism may be on the high ground when it comes to recognizing human rights before anything else... before everything else... including God-based religious separatism and the divisive actions and attitudes which are spawned in support of such selfish-thinking beliefs.

Atheism seeks its truth where truth is... right here in the real world of factual evidence. Atheism respects the laws of man and the laws of nature and it is willing to question the validity of the laws of God... especially those that would sacrifice one man's life for that of another.

So, I must answer your question "No."

I don't think that an Atheist is disinterested in questions of 'ultimate value to man' ... rather he sees these questions as being of the utmost importance. Personally, I see some questions as being so important, in fact, that I find it necessary to choose taking an interest in the re-education of my neighbor whose head appears to be desperately lodged up his own anus.

Step into the light of reality and smell the sweetness of the truth. Atheism is correct and it is the path to a better tomorrow. All of the wonderful things that you might attribute to God and to God-based religions thinking exist just as well without it... Love, beauty, awe inspiring spectacles, poetry, song, forgiveness, humility, respect, joyfulness, fancy and fantasy, etc... are all here in the truth of reality. Be strong enough to believe in yourself and in the brotherhood of man. Be honest with yourself and others... be Atheist. It's time to make a stand... It's time to doubt the obviously doubtable.

(((( r u randy? ))))
.

Answer 7

Oh, a moot point (I've been wanting to say that for a long time).

I speak only for myself, but I find "unanswerable" questions fairly pointless. The whole "meaning of life" business. The question suggests that there is a meaning to be found. If you think (NOT believe) that life is a random event, then there is no point to it. That does not stop us learning or striving, it just means we do it for no higher reason than self.

Answer 8

Sorry, but the value of human life is greater for atheists.

Religious people think that human life is really not destructable. You can kill someone, but that really doesn't do much to them because they'll live after death anyway.

Atheists realize that human life is short and precious in a very real way. We realize that when you die, that's it. Therefore, we tend to value life more.

And religions really don't address questions of human value or even morality. They dictate them. They don't seek anything. In fact, the morality and value of human life have changed in society since time was recorded, and religion has always mirrored the society's values. Churches in America valued black people's lives much less than white people's lives, because society valued them less. People in Biblical times really valued women less than men, and the Bible reflects that, too.

Answer 9

I am atheist, and very interested in questions that we don't have the answers to yet. But if that means making up illogical explanations that halt further advancement of science and claiming them as absolute truth instead of creating the best theories we can come up with based on the best scientific evidence we have, then you can count me out.

As for the value of Human life. I can only speak for myself, but I value life very highly, for this is our one shot at it. I don't believe there is any eternal continuation, but your mind simply stops functioning. As for purpose, that is something you make for yourself.

Answer 10

No.... in fact, most atheists I've known (of course not ALL, but a majority) were either declared humanists or humanists in practice and thought. Of course they're concerned with human value and potential.

Now... I consider science very important, but religion... no. I'm not a believer in religious belief. Religious belief is almost always detrimental to some degree. One needn't sacrifice themself in a fiery blaze to suffer from religion.